Multi-zone fracturing and gravel packing assemblies comprise of an outer assembly that hangs from a top packer and further comprises an alternating pattern of zone isolation packers with screens and gravel exit ports between them. There is an inner assembly of a crossover and wash pipe that is assembled into the outer assembly at the surface so that they are run in together. When the proper depth is reached, the top packer is set and then the other zone isolation packers are set at the same time by pressurizing the outer assembly at a time when all the screens are blocked with valves that can later be selectively opened with a device mounted to the wash pipe. With all the zone isolation packers set, the inner string with the crossover and the wash pipe is positioned with respect to the zone isolation packer above the zone to be fractured and gravel packed.
If during the fracturing or gravel packing operation the inner string gets stuck in the zone isolation packer, there are few options and they are very expensive. In one option the inner string is simply pulled until it shears apart somewhere in the outer completion and the balance of the inner string is pulled out of the hole. Thereafter that portion of the wellbore is abandoned in favor of a deviated bore that is offset from the abandoned hole. The other option calls for again shearing the inner string and then grabbing the top packer and rotating to the right to see which left hand thread at which zone isolation packer releases. If a packer too high up breaks loose then it is pulled to the surface and on another trip the next packer down is tagged and the same procedure is repeated until the zone isolation packer that has the remnant of the stuck remaining portion of the inner string can be reached so that it can be pulled out with the balance of the inner string that is stuck to it. This procedure can potentially cost a lot money depending on how many trips in the hole it takes to finally get down to the packer in question that has the inner string remnant stuck to it. This alternative is rarely used as it is in most cases cheaper to abandon the hole with the stuck pipe and come out with a lateral above it that tracks the orientation of the original abandoned well.
The present invention allows a one trip system that will remove all zone isolation packers with the top packer when all packer release mechanisms are first released and then the top packer is picked up. The system unlocks a disconnect for a zone to be fractured and gravel packed before those procedures start for that zone. Then if that zone is where the inner string got stuck to the zone isolation packer a pickup force on the top packer will release all zone isolation packers down to the zone isolation packer with the remnant of the inner string stuck in it. A breakaway below the packer with the inner string stuck in it will release and the entire outer assembly down to the lowest zone isolation packer that has the inner string remnant stuck in it will come out in a single trip. Those skilled in the art will appreciate other aspects of the invention from a review of the description of the preferred embodiment and the associated drawings while recognizing that the full scope of the invention is to be found in the literal and equivalent scope of the appended claims.